UCLA's Drew makes ASU pay from long range

UCLA's Larry Drew II reacts after scoring in the second half against Arizona State during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Thursday in Las Vegas.JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES

LAS VEGAS – It was almost seven weeks ago in Tempe, matched up against an Arizona State team that was dominating UCLA in the paint, when Bruins point guard Larry Drew II noticed something peculiar.

Arizona State's guards were sagging off of him at the top of the key, almost daring him to take 3-pointers on every possession.

"If that's how you want to play," Drew said on Tuesday, recalling that now-distant loss, "I'm going to have to make you pay for it."

And on Thursday, in UCLA's second-round Pac-12 Tournament matchup against the Sun Devils, Drew made sure to make them pay this time, raining down shot after shot in an 80-75, comeback victory to advance to the semifinals against Arizona.

It wouldn't even matter that Drew would spend the majority of the second half in foul trouble, tasked with guarding freshman standout Jahii Carson. Even as Carson finished with 21 points, it was Drew's stat line that was especially jaw-dropping. He knocked down 8 of his 10 shots from the field and all four of his shots from long range to finish with a career-high 20 points.

But it was more than Drew's 3-point prowess that extinguished ASU's double-digit lead.

Freshmen Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad had discussed in the tunnel at halftime that both would need to step up from forgettable first-half performances in order for UCLA to have any chance of making a comeback.

And as Anderson scored the first five points of the half, Muhammad followed his lead, serving as the catalyst for a huge 12-2 run. Muhammad scored eight points in that span and finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, his highest total in a month.

"Shabazz did a fantastic job taking the game over," UCLA coach Ben Howland said

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UCLA's Larry Drew II reacts after scoring in the second half against Arizona State during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Thursday in Las Vegas. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
Arizona State's Jahii Carson shoots a free throw in the first half against UCLA during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
UCLA coach Ben Howland calls out from the bench as the Bruins take on the Arizona State Sun Devils during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad (15) holds the ball as a referee comes in between him and several Arizona State Sun Devils players late in the second half. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
Arizona State's Chris Colvin passes the ball around UCLA's Travis Wear (24) and David Wear (12) of the UCLA Bruins in the first half during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
Arizona State's Jahii Carson dribbles the ball between UCLA's Travis Wear (24) and Norman Powell (4) in the first half. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
UCLA's David Wear protects the ball against Arizona State's Jahii Carson in the first half. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
Arizona State's Jordan Bachynski dunks the ball against UCLA's Jordan Adams during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
Arizona State's Carrick Felix shoots the ball against UCLA's Travis Wear in the first half. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
UCLA's Kyle Anderson posts up Arizona State's Jahii Carson in the first half. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
UCLA's Larry Drew II reacts in the first half while taking on the Arizona State Sun Devils during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
UCLA's Larry Drew II drives between Arizona State's Jordan Bachynski (13)and Jahii Carson (1) in the second half during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad shoots the ball over Arizona State's Jonathan Gilling in the second half. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES
Arizona State's Jahii Carson looks on in the first half against UCLA Bruins during the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. JEFF GROSS, GETTY IMAGES

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